What is Jazz Music?

Famous Jazz musicians include Louis Armstrong, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker and Charles Mingus.
Hailing from early 20th century New Orleans, Jazz is a highly artistic and sophisticated form of music. Groups of self-taught African-American musicians who led funeral processions in New Orleans played an influential role in the development of early Jazz.
This classic style of music was born from a combination of African American music and Western musical techniques. Some of the genre’s many stylistic markers include the usage of blue notes, syncopation, polyrhythms, call and response, and creative improvisation. The roots of Jazz are steeped in various influences. These include spirituals, the Blues, and ragtime culled from West African traditions. Western influences include the religious hymns of New England, Old-Time music, and even European military band music.
Jazz is particularly rooted in the Blues. The Blues developed from the folk music of former African American slaves, which was strongly influenced by their West African cultural background. Wynton Marsalis, a famous Jazz musician, stated: “Jazz is something Negroes invented... the nobility of the race put into sound... Jazz has all the elements, from the spare and penetrating to the complex and enveloping.”
The basic instruments of Jazz include brass, reeds, and drums. These were the same type of instruments used by European marching bands. Both also use the 12-tone scale. Scholars state: “... [a] Black musical spirit was bursting out of the confines of European musical tradition, even though the performers were using European styled instruments.” Jazz spread rapidly throughout the United States and Europe in the twenties. The origin of the word Jazz is unknown, although it is linked to American slang.
Though a rarity, the violin is sometimes used as a solo instrument in Jazz. Still, it is well suited to Jazz, and many noteworthy players have used it well. Joe Venuti, best known for his work with Eddie Lang, is considered the first great Jazz violinist. Other Jazz violinists include St鰨ane Grappelli, Stuff Smith, Ray Perry, Ray Nance, Elek Bacsik, Claude “Fiddler” Williams, Leroy Jenkins, Billy Bang, Mat Maneri, Malcolm Goldstein, Regina Carter, and Jean-Luc Ponty.
The growth of African-American established schools helped to educate more children and produce more formally trained musicians. Both Lorenzo Tio and Scott Joplin were educated in the classical European musical style. African-American musicians with formal training and skills helped to both preserve and develop the musical style of Jazz.